


Breaking Tradition

by FleetofShippyShips



Series: Prompted Harry Potter Works [28]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Established Relationship, HP: EWE, M/M, Post-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 17:40:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12173628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleetofShippyShips/pseuds/FleetofShippyShips
Summary: Prompt: "Would you stop that!"





	Breaking Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by whispurdmusings.

“Would you stop that?” Draco hissed.

Ron raised an eyebrow, and his face set into a stubborn expression that made Draco’s breath hitch for a moment. Once an expression that signalled only annoyance and suffering, it had lately become a signal for a very long and pleasurable night ahead.

Today, however, it would be annoyance again.

Ron held Draco’s gaze, and reached out again, taking another flower from the centrepiece, and proceed to de-petal it as well.

Draco grit his teeth, and made a surreptitious sweep of the restaurant. “I know you were raised in a bloody shed for all the good you are in civilised society, but can you at least try to act like you belong here?”

Ron threw the flower stem at him, and held his gaze. A year ago, he would have turned red and drawn his wand, now he only kept that eyebrow raised, and looked more amused than anything.

Draco picked up the flower stem, and deposited it back in the vase. Service was slow tonight, and it was only making things more awkward.

“You’re a disgrace,” he muttered.

“You’ll never get me to enjoy eating a stuck-up place like this,” Ron said, slouching in his chair, and looking about the place with a judgmental expression. “But I’m here. Don’t be such a fucking wanker about it.”

Draco felt his cheeks flush with heat. Yes, he was there. After months of failed attempts. Finally.

“You’re ruining the purpose of this venture by looking like you want to be somewhere else,” he said, hating the petulance that seeped into his tone.

Ron looked back at him, and leaned forward. “We could have ‘announced’ our relationship any other bloody way. This circus is completely unnecessary!”

Draco scowled as he made air quotes with his fingers. For once, he agreed, and would much rather have done this another way. But in this society, it was the fastest way. No two wizards ate dinner together at an establishment like this unless they were dating. That was the way it was. Any other outing could be misinterpreted. And he refused to be like some of the others in the past, carefully planning ‘accidental’ exposure while snogging somewhere. Disgraceful.

But letting Ron know he also didn’t want to be there would only result in getting dragged out of there. As soon as Ron knew Draco agreed with him, about anything, then he won, and would not stop until things were changed. He never could grasp the concept of doing something unsavoury when there were better ways.

No grasp on tradition, even if his family was one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

“It’s dinner, Weasley,” Draco hissed. “Suck it up, as you like to say. It will be over in an hour and a half.”

Ron’s expression contorted at the use of his last name, and Draco cursed himself.

Leaning forward, Ron lowered his voice. “Don’t call me that again, unless you want me to drag you out of here and have you over the closest available surface, _Malfoy_.”

Heat rushed to Draco’s cheeks again, and strongly enough that he was surely blushing. The shift to satisfaction in Ron’s expression confirmed it.

Their host finally showed himself a moment later, depositing their meal, and topping up their drinks. Ron didn’t look away from Draco for a moment, and Draco cleared his throat, and tried not to look at him directly.

Merlin only knew he’d rather be getting laid than participating in this stupid tradition of outing himself. All the people whose opinion he cared for knew anyway. It was just the damn public.

But he was so sick of those articles about how delightful it was that he’d changed enough to spark a friendship with Ron Weasley, War Hero. A friendship. Maybe he shouldn’t have insisted on no public displays of affection while they were on dates. Ron had called him a daft sod for it.

Huffing to himself, he looked down at his food, no longer hungry. His stomach was churning, as he suddenly remembered that there was a chance that this may all go terribly wrong. Just because his ‘friendship’ with Ron and the other Gryffindorks had been accepted didn’t mean a romantic liaison would be.

“What did I order?” Ron asked, and Draco looked up to see him squinting suspiciously at his meal. “I can’t even tell what this is.”

Laughter bubbled up in Draco’s throat, and some of it escaped before he could stop it. Ron glared up at him.

“Piss off!” he hissed, keeping his voice low in an odd show of propriety. “You know I don’t know shit about this fancy food.”

Draco shook his head. Once, he had loved the idea of going to fancy dinners with a partner, and all the society events. Now, they were only fun due to the commentary Ron provided, if he managed to drag him along. More and more he found himself despising the things he’d once dreamed of.

Playing Quidditch with the Weasleys on their cramped property, or playing chess with Ron in bed, was far more enjoyable.

Maybe he should have just snogged him in public and been done with it, even if it was not the done thing.

A hand suddenly covered his, and he looked up. Ron was looking serious, and his hand tightened over Draco’s.

“Say the word, and we’re out of here,” he said, almost too low to be heard. “You know I don’t want to be here, that I think this tradition is utter bollocks. I’m only here for you. If you don’t want this, then what the fuck are we doing here?”

Draco swallowed heavily. Why had he tried to cling to this last trace of tradition anyway? He’d already broken with tradition in so many other ways after the war. Why was this so ingrained in him? Because he thought he’d never even have the chance to participate in this antiquated rite of passage? So sure he’d have to marry some witch and continue the line, ignoring the fact that he would never be truly happy with a woman, and despising infidelity, and knowing he would never even do that to get what he wanted?

“Draco?” Ron prompted softly. “Don’t be a prideful git, yeah? We were here for long enough, right?”

Draco pulled his hand away, and straightened in his chair. He hid his hands in his lap, so no one would see them shaking, and fixed Ron with a snide look.

“Watch your language, Weasley,” he sneered. “This isn’t the barn you were raised in.”

It took a moment for Ron to realise what he’d done, but it was obvious the moment he did, in the slight curve to his lips, and that way his gaze intensified.

If they went to Ron’s flat, the closest available surface was the back of the couch in the lounge. If they went to Draco’s flat, it was a table in the entryway.

He couldn’t quite decide which he preferred, so when Ron stood, and took his upper arm in a firm grip, he let him choose the destination.

It was going to be a much more enjoyable night either way.


End file.
